Town of Coloma v. Eaves/Concurrence Bradley

by Joseph P. Bradley

United States Supreme Court

92 U.S. 484

Town of Coloma  v.  Eaves

MR. JUSTICE BRADLEY delivered the following concurring opinion:--

I dissent from the opinion of the court in this case, so far as it may be construed to reaffirm the first point asserted in the case of Knox County v. Aspinwall; to wit, that the mere execution of a bond by officers charged with the duty of ascertaining whether a condition precedent has been performed is conclusive proof of its performance. If, when the law requires a vote of tax-payers, before bonds can be issued, the supervisor of a township, or the judge of probate of a county, or other officer or magistrate, is the officer designated to ascertain whether such vote has been given, and is also the proper officer to execute, and who does execute, the bonds, and if the bonds themselves contain a statement or recital that such vote has been given, then the bona fide purchaser of the bonds need go back no farther. He has a right to rely on the statement as a determination of the question. But a mere execution and issue of the bonds without such recital is not, in my judgment, conclusive. It may be prima facie sufficient; but the contrary may be shown. This seems to me to be the true distinction to be taken on this subject; and I do not think that the contrary has ever been decided by this court. There have been various dicta to the contrary; but the cases, when carefully examined, will be found to have had all the prerequisites necessary to sustain the bonds, according to my view of the case. This view was distinctly announced by this court in the case of Lynde v. The County of Winnebago, 16 Wall. 13. In the case now under consideration, there is a sufficient recital in the bond to show that the proper election was held and the proper vote given; and the bond was executed by the officers whose duty it was to ascertain these facts. On this ground, and this alone, I concur in the judgment of the court.